With these results, the City of Memphis will take these responses, along with other related factors, into consideration before making a final decision in the weeks ahead. If all goes according to plan, the city should proceed with the repaving road work projects on the following
Memphis City Streets by the fall:

Most of the opposition to the bike lanes on
Riverside was mounted by several downtown homeowners, some of whom publicly voiced
their dissent and who sought to have other options pursued, instead.They seem to have preferred having bike lanes
placed on other streets or having them placed inside Tom Lee Park, itself.

Cooper Ave. is one of the many streets in Memphis that has a
significant number of cyclists riding on it and this is only
expected to increase with the extension of the bike lane
from Central to Washington Ave.

One of the more compelling arguments for having bike lanes on Riverside, however,
as well as on the other nine Memphis City streets, is that it would, ultimately,
help to slow traffic, and thereby increase safety for everyone to include not
only those who are driving, but also those who want to ride a bike or who wish
to try to walk across any of these streets.

For Oyler, the bike lanes are more than just about accommodating the needs and
wishes of cyclists.He has said on a
number of occasions that it is more about creating safer streets for everyone
and the current design plan for Riverside should do just that.

Oyler and others believe that the current plan remedies some of the problems
that arose from the previous design plan that failed in 2015 by creating turn
lanes and emergency pull-off areas.

In addition to that, there may also be one other
benefit that might come for having bike lanes installed on Riverside Drive.

The Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) and the Riverfront Development Corporation (RDC) have been looking for ways to reduce
crime and to increase safety around Riverside Drive with ideas like decreasing
the speed limit, reducing it to two (2) lanes, (to control excessive cruising),
and even possibly temporarily closing it on weekends.

With bike lanes put in on Riverside Drive, it would do all this without ever
having to close it except for the Memphis in May
festivities.

According to Oyler, the RDC has been supportive of city engineer’s proposals to
slow down traffic and improve access along Riverside Drive for all users.

The creation of bicycle lanes in Memphis over the last decade
have had a significant impact on the growing popularity of
cycling with an added side benefit of helping to slow traffic
down, which has greatly contributed to the safety of
motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike.

Oyler believes that the latest proposal for bike lanes should help accomplish
some of what the DMC and RDC have been looking to do to reduce crime, without having
to close the street on weekends.

Even though there has been a lot of attention given to this latest set of bike
lanes, the city also has other big bike lane projects coming in the future.

A future half a mile expansion of the greenline from Tillman to the north end
of Flicker (near Tobey Park) is also being planned that will also include
an eye-catching bridge with the work expected to be completed in four to five
years.

Another one is a three year effort, known as “The Big Jump Project,” which will add bike lanes in South Memphis.This
project be especially beneficial to individuals from communities in this part
of Memphis who have lower incomes and who are more dependent on walking and
cycling.

The Big Jump Project is funded by PeopleforBikes
and Memphis is one of 10 cities that were chosen among hundreds throughout the
U.S.

Some of the bike lanes in South Memphis will open up areas like Martin Luther King Riverside Park, which has an old forest like Overton Park and
was designed by the same pioneer urban planner and landscape architect of
Overton, George Kessler.

One other exciting project that should get the adrenaline pumping for Memphis
area cyclists is a “Great Streets Pilot Project,” unveiled at a public meeting on Tuesday, May
2, 2017.

Bike lanes, like this one on Southern Ave., have helped to
create corridors for cyclists to travel on. More of these in
the years ahead, with connections to other bike lanes,
should make cycling much safer and a more viable
option for transportation and commuting purposes.

A continuation of this bike route on to Dr. M.L. King Jr. Ave. will feature a one-way protected bike lane on either side of the street and the work on this separate project should be completed by the fall.

The Great Streets Pilot Project, itself, will offer areas with interactive public art elements, eating,
drinking, and various other activities, and it will give Memphians an
opportunity to enjoy public space amenities that have been created through the
transformation of some of our public streets.

Through the combined efforts of the UrbanArt Commission and others, the Great Streets project will
help Memphians to see, experience, and to re-imagine our city streets in a
radically different, in a more aesthetic, and more people-friendly way.

The work is set to begin in June and should be finished by the end of that
month.After that, there will be a one
year trial period and the city will then request federal funding, which will be
augmented with private funding.

With all of these bike lanes (which will total 331 miles by the end of 2017), an
improved bicycle infrastructure, an effort to connect existing bike lanes with one another, and more funding expected to
come from Governor Haslam’s Improve Act (SB 1221 gas tax bill), Memphis area cyclists
will have much to celebrate and to look forward to in the future.

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About Me

I am a long-time resident of Memphis, Tennessee. I had a long active duty military career and I am now a student at the University of Memphis. I am married to a native Memphian who is a retired Memphis City School teacher. When I am not busy, or in school, you will likely find me out riding my bike or jogging around my East Memphis neighborhood. If you would like to learn more of my passion for cycling, you can follow me on twitter at - https://twitter.com/memphiscyclist, or you can check out my cycling website - http://memphiscyclist.com. If you have any questions or comments about my blogs, my website or about Memphis cycling, please feel free to contact me at mikel5061@yahoo.com.